expired

Chapter 5, Part 2

The smell of garlic bread filled my nostrils as I pulled myself out of a groggy sleep. Rubbing my eyes, I rolled to my side to look at my alarm clock. 8:15? I thought to myself. That was almost a four hour nap. I sniffed the air, the aroma of Italian flooding my nostrils. And who's eating this late? I moved to check my phone, which among the notifications included a text from Clay, it's only content a tree emoji. On my way, I texted back before sliding out of bed and back into my tennis shoes. I looked in the mirror quickly, then spent the next 20 minutes picking out a new, less wrinkly shirt and fixing my hair before truly getting on my way.

    I ran down the stairs and was about to check Clover's water and food when I saw Jane and Matt in the kitchen, cooking together. They worked well, Matt chopping vegetables as Jane poured them each a glass of water. The garlic smell was much stronger here than it'd been upstairs, and I could see pasta boiling and sauce simmering as they worked. Though a little stalkerish I stood in the entryway, watching them. They seemed so content with each other, but their clocks told a different story. Though those mountain top moments of true love could slow down the ticking of a person's clock, reality always managed to find a way to seep in and change the tempo, and considering Jane and Matt's reality, it wasn't a surprise that their clocks were now counting down at a much faster speed.

    "Eva," Jane said, suddenly appearing in front of me. I shook my head out of my trance, flinching at Jane's waving hand in front of my face. "Did you want to stay for dinner?"

    "Ah, no, I was just leaving," I said, gathering my bearings and headed for the door. Once I'd gathered my composure, thoughts about what I could've done differently to save Jane and Matt from the next eighteen years they were about to face.

Where was Eva?

Pushing that thought away, I tried to consider Tia's way of thinking. Maybe I should stop trying to mess with fate? Like it had its own job and I was getting in the way of it? But then why would I be cursed, ahem, "gifted" with this clock stuff if I wasn't meant to use it for good? It's not like I was going to use it for evil, that's wrong. It was like I spent all this time worrying about what I could've done, but I'd never thought about whether or not I was meant to.

With all this rolling around in my mind, by the time I arrived to the Tree dusk had fallen over it. A warm glow shone from inside the tree, different from the harshness of a phone flashlight or flood light that I would typically use to illuminate the place.

When I parted the curtain of leaves, I was met with Clay, a nervous smile on his face as he sat in the center of a checkered picnic blanket on the grass. Hanging from the branches of the willow were candles, hung inside of glass lanterns tied to the branches with twine. Sitting next to Clay on the corner of the blanket was a classic picnic wicker basket, filled with tupperware. Clay stood, his smile growing as I took a look around.

    "Isn't it my turn?" I said, checking the time on my phone. Clay's face fell instantly, I could've sworn I saw his lower lip begin to tremble. "I'm joking!"

    Clay rolled his eyes and laughed, shaking it off like it'd never happened. "I mean, I'd planned this little feast for my imaginary friends and I, but you're welcome to join us," he said, plopping back down on the blanket. I moved to take a seat beside him, but he yelled in protest. "That's where Jeffery is!" he said, putting his arm around the air next to him. Looking him straight in the eye, I proceeded to sit right next to Clay, whose face filled with horror.

    "Jeffery, no!" Clay cried, motioning dramatically to the seat of the blanket I'd just taken. Exaggeratingly quivering his lip, Clay said, "He will be forever missed."

    I held my hand over my heart, putting the other on Clay's shoulder in sympathy. "My condolences."

    "Well, since you've turned my picnic into a funeral, the least you could do is stick around to pay your respects," Clay said, digging out the tupperware containers from the basket. They were filled with all the goodness of childhood, from PB&J to homemade applesauce and box mac n cheese.